Taichung-based graffiti collective Escape Plan “X” have decorated the city’s Cian Yue Building (千越大樓), which has been in ruins for more than 20 years.
In July last year, the artists were spray-painting inside the building to avoid being caught, when one of the property owners gave them permission to paint the fifth and sixth floors and the rooftop, which used to be a revolving restaurant, the group said.
The property owner gave them the opportunity to bring the building back to life, said the group, which has six members who each specialize in different aspects of graffiti, such as images or writing.
Photo: Ho Tsung-han, Taipei Times
When they first entered the building, there was no water or electricity, said the group members, who set up the utilities and cleaned the grounds.
The group members started graffiti in Taichung, said their leader Hsieh Mang-hsun (謝孟勳), who is a graduate student majoring in sculpture at National Dong Hwa University’s Department of Arts and Design.
All Escape Plan “X” artists have been trained in art or design and they met sharing their work online, Hsieh said.
Since graffiti is not generally socially accepted, the group has often been reported to police for their work by local residents, Hsieh said, adding that this is why the group was named Escape Plan “X.”
Hsieh said he discovered that if graffiti was of a higher quality, people were less likely to report it.
Usually only messy graffiti is reported, Hsieh added.
There is a difference between freehand graffiti and artistic graffiti, Hsieh said.
Only people professionally trained in fine arts know how to apply artistic concepts to graffiti and can become artists, Hsieh said.
If people are spraying freehand, that is destructive, Hsieh said.
Hsieh said he does not like seeing images of Totoro or the Japanese comic book series One Piece, which have been painted in some villages.
Without authorization, it is plagiarism, Hsieh added.
On Dec. 30 last year, the group hosted an electronic music concert on the building’s rooftop with DJs, rappers and about 400 guests.
Escape Plan “X” said it hopes the building can become a legal graffiti site, like the former 5 Pointz: The Institute of Higher Burnin in New York, where the movies Now You See Me and Step Up filmed scenes.
Hsieh said he hopes more artists will work at the Cian Yue Building.
In 2016, the owners of the building formed an urban renewal association and proposed reconstructing the complex, but some rejected the project, saying that it could continue to be used after renovations.
Discussions of an urban renewal project are ongoing.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
Taiwan next year plans to launch its first nationwide census on elderly people living independently to identify the estimated 700,000 seniors to strengthen community-based healthcare and long-term care services, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) said yesterday. Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said on the sidelines of a healthcare seminar that the nation’s rapidly aging population and declining birthrate have made the issue of elderly people living alone increasingly pressing. The survey, to be jointly conducted by the MOHW and the Ministry of the Interior, aims to establish baseline data and better allocate care resources, he
RSS